Tb-ImportExport-PPT-Chapter11 - Tilde Publishing and Distribution

Import/Export
Mapping International Trade for
Australian Business
Customs
Tilde Publishing and Distribution
ISBN: 978-0-7346-0817-8
Customs
• One of the major roles of the Australian Customs
and Border Protection Service is to monitor and
control the legitimate movement of goods across
Australia’s borders.
• A customs broker is an individual or organisation
that is licensed by the government who acts as an
agent for an importer or exporter performing
many of the functions required for compliance
with customs regulations and procedures.
Customs
• In Australia you do not need to hold an import
licence in order to import goods of a general
nature.
• Prohibited goods cannot be imported under
any circumstances.
• For restricted goods, importers will need to
secure permission from the relevant
department or agency (permit issuing agency
– PIA) before proceeding with the import.
Customs
• All imports exceeding the value of A$1,000 per
consignment must be formally notified to
Customs via the lodgement of a customs
import entry.
• Apart from a few exceptions, e.g. alcohol and
tobacco products, generally import duty and
GST is not payable on imported goods valued
at A$1,000 or less.
Customs
• Information supplied to Customs for the
release of imported goods and the
determination of import duty, GST and other
taxes payable falls into three broad categories:
– the nature of the goods,
– the value of the goods,
– the origin of the goods.
Customs
• Under Tariff Concession System (TCS) an importer
may be granted a Tariff Concession Order (TCO)
for a specific item if it can be demonstrated that
no ‘substitutable goods’ are manufactured in
Australia in the ordinary course of business
• The Australian Customs and Border Protection
Service also operates a system that allows
importers duty free entry of genuine handmade
goods into Australia.
Customs
• Dumping is the term used to describe the
practice of selling goods in an export market at a
price lower than the price of the same goods in
the domestic market. Remedial action may be
taken by imposing a dumping duty.
• A subsidy is any form of direct or indirect
financial assistance provided by a government
that benefits an exporter. remedial action may be
taken by imposing a countervailing duty.
Customs
• Licensed customs brokers are linked directly to
Customs via the Customs electronic data
interchange system known as the Integrated
Cargo System (ICS) and lodge import entries
electronically.
• The electronic lodgement system in conjunction
with the self-assessment procedure ensures
virtually instantaneous customs release of
imported goods in most cases.
• In some cases customs may decide to examine
cargo
Customs
• There is usually no requirement for import
documents to be submitted to customs.
However, you must retain documents for a
minimum period of five years from the date of
the customs entry.
Customs
• The majority of goods imported into Australia
either attract a duty rate of zero or five
percent.
• Exceptions apply mainly to passenger motor
vehicles and related items, textile clothing and
footwear and related items and excisable
goods such as alcohol and tobacco.
Customs
Calculating import duty
Customs
• The indirect tax that applies the most to
importers is the Goods and Services Tax (GST)
• The other two taxes that may apply are the
Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) and the Luxury
Car Tax (LCT).
Customs
Calculating GST
Customs
• An ATA carnet provides a simplified process for
the temporary admission of a wide variety of
goods and is the document most widely used
by business for this purpose.
• Applications for ATA carnets are made via a
local chamber of commerce.
Customs
• Importers must ensure that where required,
goods imported for commercial purposes are
adequately and accurately labelled, and include
the name of the country where the goods were
made and a true description of those goods.
• If detected at the time of importation, Customs
can seize imported goods that infringe
trademarks, copyrights or Olympic insignia, but
only if the owner or authorised licensee lodges a
formal objection.
Customs
• Exporters must lodge an export declaration to
Customs in the following circumstances:
– where the value of the export consignment is
greater than A$2,000 except for exempt goods;
– where there is a requirement for a permit to be
issued by a Permit Issuing Agency;
– where the exported goods will be the subject of a
duty drawback claim; and
– where duty and excise has not yet been paid on
goods where duty and excise is payable.
Customs
• The Australian Customs and Border Protection
Service operates a scheme known as the Duty
Drawback Scheme that enables exporters to
obtain a refund of customs duty paid on
imported goods when these goods are
subsequently exported.
• A certificate of origin (C/O) is a document issued
by a government authority or another authorised
body certifying that the goods identified conform
to the rules of origin for a particular country.